(CNN) - Rick Santorum continued his offensive against President Barack Obama while speaking Sunday night to a church in Georgia ahead of the state’s primary next month, portraying the president as a leader intent on starting a cultural war.

As the audience roared with applause, the former Pennsylvania senator called on the country to build a foundation that will "defend the church, defend the family, defend the nonprofit community, defend them from a government that wants to weaken them."

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The rising presidential candidate has ramped up his rhetoric in recent weeks on social issues that have largely remained out of the presidential race until now.

Mostly, he's railed against the administration for a provision that would have required religious institutions to cover contraception in their health insurance plans, regardless of some faith-based teachings that oppose certain forms of birth control.

The White House in response announced it would amend the rule and require insurers to offer contraception at no charge, rather than force religiously affiliated employers to pay for the medication.

Santorum, a devout Catholic, has used the occasion to pin Obama as a president willing to override religious freedoms in order to further his own agenda.

Despite the administration's compromise, Santorum said the original policy was evidence of Obama’s world view.

"It is saying government knows better. It is imposing his ideology on a group of people expressing their theology - their moral code - and saying government will force you to do what your faith says is gravely wrong," Santorum said.

The candidate also made headlines on Saturday when he said Obama had a different "theology" than that found in the Bible, leaving some to speculate whether Santorum was questioning the president's Christian faith.

But the former senator on Sunday morning said he was referring to the president's position on what he called "radical" environmentalism and did not mean to imply religious tones when he used the word "theology."

soundoff(331 Responses)

Jamal9

Is it me!! But This Guy Santorum is started sound more Radical & More Overly Obsessed Everyday that pass.He stuck in time!!! This country is in ruin because of greed.They say let that private sector create jobs and do their own regulations..Which is nonsense,because if you leave it up to them,they will pay the american workers peanuts for hard labor which is basically slavery.Just to make a HUGE profit.This country was made financially great due to UNPAID LABOR WORK.The Simple version of this is,Major Corps/Super Rich are mad because after 100s of years of OWNING/employing workers,they now are being told they have to pay their fair share.If you pay attention to whats going on.All its about is reaping BIG benefits off someone else hard work.If they could bring back slavery,"which seems to be happening right under our noses"....i'm sure MOST of them would be for it.Its no different from the days of OWNING people.They gave you just enough to have the strength to come back to work the next day. Now the slaves are different races no just black people.."RICH VS POOR..And the rich are super rich because they don't have to pay much out.They move work overseas,get product made cheap and sell it to their americans brothers/sister.At pay out peanuts..

February 20, 2012 12:56 pm at 12:56 pm |

Jamal9

and also Banning Contraceptions Also Mean Banning Condoms.So I Guess We Going To Be Walking Around Like We’re In The 9th Century.Just Having Babies & Passing Diseases.

February 20, 2012 12:58 pm at 12:58 pm |

Ken

According to his own website, he wants to ban pornography, sodomy, and abortions for any reasons... he also supports letting states ban contraception altogether. If there is anyone stoking a culture war, it's him.

February 20, 2012 12:59 pm at 12:59 pm |

Ray

The more I hear this guy talk, the more I understand why voters who know him the best, the people of his own state, kicked him out of the Senate by a landslide vote.

February 20, 2012 01:00 pm at 1:00 pm |

Stormin

Where are all the moderate republicans? who may understand Hypocrisy when they see and hear it !
The extremists would deny the building of a mosque for prayer yet would scream bloody murder over the thought of a birth control pill used by the masses even in their own religious sect as Govt take over of religious liberties.
Where are the true republicans ..why are they so silent?

February 20, 2012 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

The problem, SPA, is that Rick Santorum is NOT interested in democracy as it is practiced in the United States. He is the one who is a statist, not Obama, because he sees no distinctions between his faith and his role in government. It should guide, not influence his decisions, a critical difference that separates our wonderful democracy from a place where Pope Ricky could say " L'etat, ce moi We have fought to keep the state and faith separate: running parallel, but rarely intersecting. The intersection occaisionally occurs during a crisis, but rarely stays intertwined for long. Santorum is using faith to create a crisisand ensure that that intertwining is permanant. He's not qualified for that. No one in public life is qualified to do that, yet the Righties keep trying, ignoring our own religious and political traditions.